Encoding complexity within supramolecular analogues of frustrated magnets

The solid phases of gold( I ) and/or silver( I ) cyanides are supramolecular assemblies of inorganic polymer chains in which the key structural degrees of freedom—namely, the relative vertical shifts of neighbouring chains—are mathematically equivalent to the phase angles of rotating planar (‘XY’) s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature chemistry 2016-05, Vol.8 (5), p.442-447
Main Authors: Cairns, Andrew B., Cliffe, Matthew J., Paddison, Joseph A. M., Daisenberger, Dominik, Tucker, Matthew G., Coudert, François-Xavier, Goodwin, Andrew L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
119/118
639/638/298
639/638/440/94
639/638/541
Analytical Chemistry
Biochemistry
Chemical Sciences
Chemistry
Chemistry/Food Science
Cyanides
Data storage
Gold
Inorganic Chemistry
Material chemistry
or physical chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Polymers
Silver
Theoretical and
Vortices
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Summary:The solid phases of gold( I ) and/or silver( I ) cyanides are supramolecular assemblies of inorganic polymer chains in which the key structural degrees of freedom—namely, the relative vertical shifts of neighbouring chains—are mathematically equivalent to the phase angles of rotating planar (‘XY’) spins. Here, we show how the supramolecular interactions between chains can be tuned to mimic different magnetic interactions. In this way, the structures of gold( I ) and/or silver( I ) cyanides reflect the phase behaviour of triangular XY magnets. Complex magnetic states predicted for this family of magnets—including collective spin-vortices of relevance to data storage applications—are realized in the structural chemistry of these cyanide polymers. Our results demonstrate how chemically simple inorganic materials can behave as structural analogues of otherwise inaccessible ‘toy’ spin models and also how the theoretical understanding of those models allows control over collective (‘emergent’) phenomena in supramolecular systems. Competing metallophilic and electrostatic interactions between gold and/or silver cyanide chains govern their assembly into different structures. An analogy has now been drawn between these systems and two-dimensional magnets. Supramolecular interactions between the chains have been tuned to mimic different magnetic interactions, leading to the realization of complex states predicted for magnets.
ISSN:1755-4330
1755-4349
DOI:10.1038/nchem.2462